Maine is now planning to pay unemployed workers $1,500 apiece for filling the many job openings across the state.
Gov. Janet Mills on Monday announced the “Back to Work” program, which provides the one-time payment to workers who start jobs over the next two weeks, and then a $1,000 reward for Mainers who begin work in July.
The first-come, first-served incentives will draw on $10 million in federal funding and could benefit up to 7,500 Mainers, according to a news release. The program is administered by the Maine Department of Labor and the Department of Economic and Community Development.
Mills said the aim of Back to Work is to get unemployed Maine people back into the workforce and to help businesses that are struggling to find personnel.
“Employers across the state are looking to staff up, which means there are opportunities for everyone to work, earn a living and contribute to our state’s economic recovery,” she said in the release.
“With this new program, we are providing another tool to accelerate peoples’ transition back into the workforce, protecting their health and their long-term financial stability.”
The program launches as Maine’s economy continues to recover from the initial impact of the pandemic. The state added 11,200 new jobs during the first quarter of 2021, while the unemployment rate decreased to 4.8% in March and remained flat in April.
But many industries in Maine, such as hospitality and retail, still can’t find the workers they need to bounce back.
“Maine’s hiring crunch is one of the biggest challenges facing employers across the state right now and is an impediment to our pandemic recovery,” said Dana Connors, president and CEO of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce.
“The governor’s initiative is the right strategy at the right time to help get Maine people back to work, businesses back in full operation, and Maine’s economy fully back on track.”
Curtis Picard, president and CEO of the Retail Association of Maine, added, “Everywhere I go, I see 'now hiring' signs at retailers of all sizes. There are millions of people ready to visit Maine this summer and we need our retail, tourism and hospitality businesses ready to deliver the world-class customer service that we are known for. This program will be a huge help.”
The Back to Work program began accepting applications Tuesday and will continue to through July 25, according to the release.
Once an employee has worked for eight weeks, the employer will be asked to confirm data through an online portal and will receive a payment to be passed through to the worker. To be eligible, workers must:
- Have received unemployment compensation for the week ending May 29;
- Accept a full-time job that pays less than $25 per hour and remain in the job for a period of at least eight consecutive weeks, and;
- Not receive unemployment compensation during the eight-week period of employment.
More information and the online portal are expected to be available later this week via the Labor Department website.
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June 15, 2021 at 09:09PM
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Maine will pay unemployed workers $1500 apiece to take a job - Mainebiz
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